Diabetes problems 'vitamin link'

Diabetes problems 'vitamin link'

A simple vitamin deficiency may be the cause of many of the side effects of diabetes, a study suggests.

Researchers found people with the disease expelled thiamine - vitamin B1 - from their bodies at 15 times the normal rate in a study of 94 people.

The Warwick University team said thiamine helped ward off complications such as heart disease and eye problems, the Diabetologia journal said.

Experts said diet supplements could potentially help people with diabetes.

Supplementing diets could be an effective way of minimising the risk of these complications Professor Paul Thornalley, lead researcher

It is the first time a deficiency of the vitamin, which is found in meat, yeast and grains, has been identified in people with diabetes.

It has been missed in the past because of the way thiamine levels were measured.

Traditionally, the activity of an enzyme called transketolase in red blood cells has been used to indicate thiamine levels.

But the researchers found that increased activity - usually a sign of high thiamine levels - was also associated with the body's response to deficiency.

Instead, the team measured thiamine levels in blood plasma and found concentrations were 76% lower in people with type 1 diabetes and 75% lower in people with type 2.

Thiamine is key to warding off vascular problems such as kidney, retina and nerve damage as well as heart disease and stroke.

It works by helping protect cells against the effect of high glucose levels.

Trials are now being carried out to see if supplementing diet with thiamine could return levels to normal.

Diets

Lead researcher Professor Paul Thornalley said: "It is early days, but it could have a huge difference.

"Supplementing diets could be an effective way of minimising the risk of these complications."

Matt Hunt, of Diabetes UK, which helped to fund the study, said more research was needed.

But he added: "The study could potentially have very exciting outcomes.

"Around 80% of people with diabetes die of cardiovascular disease and diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the UK's working age population.

"Therefore, any research that could help must be looked at seriously."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/6935482.stm

Published: 2007/08/07 23:05:27 GMT

© BBC MMVII

Coffee 'protects female memory'

Coffee 'protects female memory'

Caffeine may help older women ward off mental decline, research suggests.

French researchers compared women aged 65 and older who drank more than three cups of coffee per day with those who drank one cup or less per day.

Those who drank more caffeine showed less decline in memory tests over a four year period.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, raises the possibility that caffeine may even protect against the development of dementia.

It might be that caffeine could slow the dementia process
Dr Karen Ritchie
French National Institute for Health and Medical Research

The results held up even after factors such as education, high blood pressure and disease were taken into account.

Caffeine is a known psychostimulant, but this study appears to suggest its effects may be more profound.

However, lead researcher Dr Karen Ritchie of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research warned against jumping to premature conclusions.

She said: "While we have some ideas as to how this works biologically, we need to have a better understanding of how caffeine affects the brain before we can start promoting caffeine intake as a way to reduce cognitive decline.

"But the results are interesting - caffeine use is already widespread and it has fewer side effects than other treatments for cognitive decline, and it requires a relatively small amount for a beneficial effect."

The study, which involved 7,000 women, did not find that caffeine consumers had lower rates of dementia.

Women 'more sensitive'

Dr Ritchie said: "We really need a longer study to look at whether caffeine prevents dementia; it might be that caffeine could slow the dementia process rather than preventing it."

She said it was not clear why the protective effect did not seem to apply to men.

"Women may be more sensitive to the effects of caffeine. Their bodies may react differently to the stimulant, or they may metabolize caffeine differently."

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said that with no cure for Alzheimer's disease yet available, research into possible protective factors was important, particularly as the disease is expected to become more common.

She said: "This study does not suggest that caffeine actually lowers rates of dementia in women, but since memory seems improved, it may be that it is slowing it down.

"However, research over a much longer period is still needed to establish fully what the affects of caffeine are in both men and women and whether it could reduce a person's risk of dementia or slow down its progress."

Dr Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, said drinking coffee and tea had both been tipped as possible ways of delaying the onset of dementia.

However, she said: "These types of studies are complex because coffee and tea drinking can be linked to so many other social and life style factors."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/6930114.stm

Published: 2007/08/07 06:45:02 GMT

© BBC MMVII